Christmas Time

They have such a seasonable sweet and nutty taste that I often get “blamed” to make guests want more. Of course, I am talking about Cinnamon Stars, a famous and traditional European Christmas cookie (Zimtsterne).
 

Zimt Sterne

To no surprise, Google comes up with 437000 results.
Most of those recipes have one thing in common and that is the consistency of the dough. But the cookies taste so delicious that it’s well worth dealing with the ultra sticky dough.
The stickiness can be dealt with by cooling the dough in the freezer for an hour before cutting out the stars.
 
Once the cookies are cooled down the stars should end up soft inside with a white hard icing.
Here you find the recipe that I was using.

Windows 8: Love it or hate it?

The answer should be: embrace it.

Let me explain. Microsoft seizes a great opportunity to consolidate two different platforms each requiring a different approach of interaction. The “old-fashioned” way of using mouse and keyboard for the desktop PC on one side and a more natural way of interacting with the tablet via gestures.  Initially, it might feel a little clunky when starting up Windows 8 on a desktop but if you have two monitors like most people (should) have then the metro style  is nothing more than a graphical representation of programs that one would access via the Windows Start key. But wait, there is more, those tiles are alive and  provide information before you even start the application.

I have to give Microsoft a lot of kudos for trying to fuse two distinctive concepts and I believe this is only the start. Yes, it feels odd in the beginning when switching between a metro style app to a to desktop app, but changes are inevitable and like so many other good things they will get even better over time. Life has changed and most of us consume more content than they produce and that is where the metro style app is more “handy” (pun intended) than an desktop application. At this time, there is no doubt in my mind that keyboard and mouse or stylus are essential tools for more productivity when creating content, and that is why the desktop application is still a solid part of Windows 8 and will be used on a desktop.

Some new feature requires users to learn new tricks, but then again not too many people are born with a mouse and keyboard either. Like anything new it makes people feel uncomfortable because the status quo changes and new skills or knowledge has to be acquired in order to remain competitive and that’s a little scary.

Raking Season is over

With the temperatures falling in the last few days, the leave raking and collecting season is finally over for this year.
As a proud owner of a Cyclon Rake I can can only tell you that it's so much fun to be outside and let the tractor do the all the hard work.

Säntis (Appenzell)

September is a great time to travel and not just because the people are back from their vacation but usually the weather is fantastic too. We took advantage of that and took the cable car from the Schwägalp to the highest mountain in the region. 

The Säntis is 2501m above sea level and part of the Alpstein, The panorama is great and one can see Germany, Austria, Lichtenstein and some peaks from Italy as well as Switzerland.

There is a old weather station at the top was built in 1882, and it's fully automated these days.

The restaurant on top provides a fantastic buffet with fresh bread and Bircher Müesli and other local specialties, such as Appenzeller cheese and Birnbrot (Pear Bread).

In the past, the Appenzeller land was a closed off regions and as such is home of a lot of traditions. One that is still practiced every year is leading the younger cows up the the alpine meadows in the spring and bringing them back home again in the fall. In the fall, it's called Alpabfahrt. The Senn (care taker) and his helpers dress up in the traditional uniform with a red vest and yellow pants. How to get the leather pants this yellow, is a closely guarded secret, like the recipe for the Appenzeller cheese.

Paris

The Louvre is arguably one of the most interesting and visited and sought after museum in the world. Nowadays, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates has their own, but nothing comes even close to the original in Paris.

One of the pop icons of the Louvre is the Winged Victory of Samothrace, which is displayed in one of the main stairways and if you're lucky you can enjoy the headless statue alone.

In comparison, the Centre Pompidou is very modern and hosts many works of art from my favorite painter Kandinsky, like his most famous: Gelb-Rot-Blau. It's in the main hallway and it's bigger than I thought. Standing next to the original gives you the goose bumps.

Calder is famous for the mobiles that he created in about the same time period. I think they are fascinating, because the art implies movement, either because it needs it or it creates it.

When walking from the Seine up to the Panthéon you can feel the knowledge when you walk through the Sorbonne university. The Panthéon is home to Foucault's pendulum from the 19th century and it is quite impressive. The experiment demonstrates Earth's rotation with a 67 meter (219 feet) swinging bob beneath the central dome. Please note that this is a replica whereas the original is housed in the Musée  des Arts et Métiers. Once the pendulum is calibrated and going, it tells the time.

As if there was nothing else to see in Paris, we decided to go to see one of the huge grave yards. Let me tell you that it is a very peaceful experience. Even this gentlemen knew that nobody would disturb him reading the news paper. Please note that his dentures get a rest as well.

Someone had some unfinished business to take care of and since it's daylight, they have not returned yet.

As soon as we arrived at the Catacombs it turns out that we (almost) missed the last tour. We had to beg to be included in this last group of people going down the the tunnels with bones stacked to the ceiling. It was mind blowing.

Walking up to the Basilica of Sacré Coeur on Montmartre is always a nice change from the bustling city and the watching local artist painting in the square.

While in Montmartre we visited the Dali in Paris. The collection included many drawings, paintings and some sculptures.

The opera is nicely light at night and provides a wonderful backdrop. I have always felt very safe downtown Paris and it's so nice to just stroll though the city like Parisians do.

And yes, since we are in Paris, we also noticed the Eiffel Tower, a landmark that is never boring and always there.

Bonaire

Bonaire is a dive paradise for people that are independent. The recipe for fun is pretty simple: choose a dive resort, rent a pickup truck and pick your shore dives. At any time (day or night), load your gear into the pickup truck, get air tanks from the drive though and then go start exploring. Please remember to bring nothing else and leave all the windows open when parking. Just to be clear: We had never anything stolen and we felt absolutely safe.

The diversity of sea life is amazing. Those who seek, will find.

Spotted Moray Eel

Curious Cuttlefish 

Anemone Shrimp

Spotted Eagle Ray

Large Barracuda

Coral Crab

Each dive site is nicely marked and easy to spot. Park you car and leave all the windows open. After getting ready, just walk down to the beach and enjoy your dive. We found a portable shower to but on the roof of the car, so that when we came out we could rinse off the salt water. The water was nice and warm.

The island has a history of slaves working here under very primitive conditions. The red as well as the  white slave huts would tell you all about it. They can be found at the Southern end of the island where the salt is still being mined.

Instead of eating at the Buddy Dive Resort, we ventured out to Kralendijk and found plenty of great restaurants.

Before flying back home, I can highly recommend visiting Washington-Slagbaai National Park. There is plenty of beaches and cacti to explore. The East Side has blow holes to offer and is pretty wild and it looks like you're on a different planet.

Florida

Going down to Florida from the Midwest in December is always a nice break. We went to the Chihuly museum in St. Petersburg. The exhibition features so many colorful displays.

Our primary focus though was kayaking with the manatees at Crystal River and diving in the Devil's Den, which is an underground spring with crystal clear water. Luckily, we were the only visitors and the entire site was all ours to explore. The water temperature is 72 degrees all year round. 

Kayaking is such a relaxing activity, that allows people move almost silent through the water and observe wild life, such as eagles and other birds. The trees are hung with moss and would provide perfect material for their nests.